Heat ready to hit road after long homestand

December 18, 2012

MIAMI – — There's no place like … the road.

The Miami Heat are thinking the opposite of the popular saying after completing a stretch of 10 of 11 games at home. Their game at the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday will mark the first game away from AmericanAirlines Arena since Dec. 4 against the Washington Wizards.

For the Heat, it comes at the perfect time.

"I'm ready to hit the road, personally," forward LeBron James said. "I love the home-game stretches. [However] you get that real team aspect, camaraderie, when you're on the road. It's just you and the guys, the coaches. That's when you know the type of team you have."

Although the trip is just one game, it will begin preparation for the next extended stay away from home. Miami returns home for games against the Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder before finishing the month with a four-game trip that includes Charlotte, Detroit, Milwaukee and Orlando.

Wade said he is looking forward to spending more time with teammates. The routine for home stretches is the players going their separate ways after games and practices. On the road, there is more time to bond.

"It's been great being home with our families," Wade said. "We're not used to this, really. You're used to home three days, (then) on the road. Your body gets used to it, so it's different. You do spend a lot more time together on the road."

Wade added the extra time could help the Heat eliminate some of the bad habits that have plagued them throughout the season.

"That's going to be the time where we can look to really hone in on our game and see what we're made of, especially on the road," he said. "It's going to be tough to win. To be able to pull off some good wins on the road, it makes you feel good about yourself and more confident. I think it will be good for us."

The schedule will eventually even out. They play eight of their 13 games in January on the road, including a six-game trip (five on the West Coast) in the middle of the month.

"You deal with what you get in terms of the schedule," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "It's unusual. It's not an excuse. We probably haven't handled it quite the way we would have like to. When you're at home, you're used to a normal NBA rhythm. … It feels like we've been home forever. While that's OK, you also know what's on the horizon. We're going to catch up to everybody at some point. Everybody plays the same amount of home games and road games."

Green light for Miller

Spoelstra said shot-selection is his biggest concern at the 3-point line. The goal is for everyone to avoid the "non-assisted, dribble up 3."

Everyone, except Mike Miller.

Spoelstra said it as a way to hopefully encourage Miller to take more shots.

"We're still not a fan of that shot, even for our 3-point shooters," Spoelstra said. "The only guy, Mike Miller, he can step up and shoot from 60-feet. I don't care. He can be blindfolded. I just want him having that mentality. Everybody else, they understand there's a way we get our 3-point opportunities."

Assist-turnover ratio on LeBron's radar

The next form of improvement on James' mind is his assist-to-turnover ratio.

James entered Tuesday ranked 27th in league at 2.55. He said taking better care of the ball is among his concerns.

"The more possessions that we create as a team where we're not turning the ball over is better for our team," James said. "I'm one of the guys that handles the ball so I know I have to be very conscious about that. I do try to make some plays that may not seem there. That's just the makeup of who I am. I try to make some plays a lot of people wouldn't make."